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Y 4.G 74/7:T 41/5

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EMERGING THREATS: ASSESSING PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY MEASURES AT NUCLEAR POWER FACILITIES

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY,
EMERGING THREATS AND INTERNATIONAL

RELATIONS

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON

GOVERNMENT REFORM

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

MARCH 10, 2003

Serial No. 108-43

Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Reform

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2003

STANFORD UNIVERSITY
JONSSON LIBRARY

COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM

DAN BURTON, Indiana

TOM DAVIS, Virginia, Chairman

CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida
JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York
JOHN L. MICA, Florida
MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana
STEVEN C. LATOURETTE, Ohio
DOUG OSE, California

RON LEWIS, Kentucky

JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia

TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania
CHRIS CANNON, Utah

ADAM H. PUTNAM, Florida
EDWARD L. SCHROCK, Virginia

JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee
JOHN SULLIVAN, Oklahoma
NATHAN DEAL, Georgia

CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan
TIM MURPHY, Pennsylvania
MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio
JOHN R. CARTER, Texas

WILLIAM J. JANKLOW, South Dakota
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee

HENRY A. WAXMAN, California
TOM LANTOS, California
MAJOR R. OWENS, New York
EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York
PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania
CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York
ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland
DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio
DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois

JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts
WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri

DIANE E. WATSON, California

STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts

CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland

LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California

C.A. "DUTCH" RUPPERSBERGER, Maryland ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of Columbia

JIM COOPER, Tennessee

CHRIS BELL, Texas

BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont (Independent)

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CONTENTS

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EMERGING THREATS:

ASSESSING PUBLIC

SAFETY AND SECURITY MEASURES AT NUCLEAR POWER FACILITIES

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2003

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, EMERGING

THREATS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS,

COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM,

Washington, DC.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:05 p.m., in room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher Shays (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Shays, Turner, Janklow, Kucinich and Tierney.

Also present: Representative Kelly.

Staff present: Lawrence Halloran, staff director and counsel; J. Vincent Chase, chief investigator; Robert A. Briggs, clerk; Mackenzie Eaglen, fellow; David Rapallo, minority counsel; and Jean Gosa, minority assistant clerk.

Mr. SHAYS. This hearing entitled, "Assessing Public Safety and Security Measures at Nuclear Facilities," is called to order.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 should have seared this hard truth into our national consciousness: Security is not a state of rest. It is not a static measure. Sanctuary from the terrorists of the 21st century demands a new level of vigilance to protect the public from known and emerging threats.

Heightened awareness of new threats and proactive countermeasures are particularly imperative to protect critical infrastructure facilities, fixed assets of enormous importance to national economic and social well-being. Of those, civilian nuclear power plants stand as highly attractive targets of terrorism.

Today, we ask if Federal regulators are demanding the physical security and preparedness enhancements needed to protect public health and safety from nuclear terrorism. Recent reports suggest the answer may be no. Although specific to the Indian Point reactor complex in Buchanan, NY, observations by the General Accounting Office [GAO], and to a private security firm point to systemic weaknesses in nuclear incident response planning that have implications for every community within 50 miles of any of the Nation's 64 active reactor sites.

A release of radiation caused by terrorists is a unique event, one that requires acknowledgment of the distinct factors and fears that will define the public response to such an incident. Yet the chair

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